Tuesday, January 15, 2013

a quick getaway...

Hello friends! The kids and I are doing the touristy San Francisco thing this week. (come follow along on instagram @natty_cox)

Tomorrow we are headed to the Golden Gate Bridge, Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street and Chinatown.
Any other suggestions of must sees and must eats?
I've heard the Jelly Belly factory tour is good too. True???

10 comments:

Enjoy your trip. We used to live in Sacramento, but still didn't do a whole lot in San Francisco. The Jelly Belly tour is fun, especially for the kids. If you don't mind a 45 minute to hour drive Muir woods has a great place to see the redwood trees and there's a pretty neat beach right next to it.

Hi Natalie,We just spent a week in San Francisco before Christmas and got the City Pass ($39 for kids , $79 for adults) and it was well worth it. It included unlimited cable car rides, the Muni, a ferry ride, MOMA admission, The aquarium, california academy of sciences and the exploratorium. If you don't go with the city pass I would definitely recommend the california academy of sciences--kids loved it (I have 7 year old twins) and MOMA (free for kids --adult admission is $18)--we took a tour by the docent and the kids really learned a lot and enjoyed it.Sausalito is also very beautiful. We also found a great place for breakfast--Golden Gate Grill on the 3rd floor of the SF welcome center. They give out 20% off coupons that we used every day so breakfast was quite reasonable.

You have to try Golden Boy pizza it is amazing! It's in North Beach http://www.goldenboypizza.com We eat there anytime we are in the city. The Jelly Belly tour is okay but it's in Fairfield which is about a 45 minute to hour drive depending on traffic. Coit Tower is near North Beach, it offers amazing views. Enjoy your time in the city I hope you try the pizza :)

I love going to San Francisco & the surrounding area. There are so many things to do - and so varied things. The last time I was there, my brother and I went hiking in Muir woods. You see some incredibly enormous Redwoods. Also, it's a good way for your children to let off some energy and see a different ecosystem. The views of the Bay area were beautiful!

I hope you all have a brilliant time and the weather suits you. Oh! Another place I just thought of is Apocalypse Island. It's an incredible part of history to walk and I'm sure the kids will get a kick about how the prisoners tried to escape despite the Great White Sharks surrounding the place! You can get individual recording tours and hear about the people who stayed there, including Al Capone. You even get to go into a cell - which was a small place to be 23/7 for the rest of your life! They got an hour a day to be outside, I think. You do have to reserve your tickets in advance - at least a week. The timing depends on busy is the season.

I grew up in the East Bay and second all the Muir Woods suggestions. I'd skip Jelly Belly, though...if you're there for a limited time, it's not worth the drive unless you're passing it on your way to Tahoe or Sacramento or something. The Alcatraz tour is great, but probably not with kids as young as yours. Berkeley is also a great place to visit, if you've got time and transportation. Have fun!

San Fran is always fun! I went several years ago and did all the things you mentioned and they were lots of fun. I think Alcatraz would be cool, as well. I'm also sad that I forgot to go see the Japanese Gardens. They look amazing!!!! Have a great trip :)

Happy Anniversary! That is a beautiful wedding photo. You are in my neck of the woods! Hope you are enjoying your getaway. I bet the kids will love Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory. One of my favorites as a kid and still is!